Valentin Tournet and La Chapelle Harmonique in residence.

After the success of Les Indes Galantes last summer, Valentin Tournet, the young conductor-in-residence with his ensemble la Chapelle Harmonique, stops the Rameau’s opera cycle and will conduct Bach’s 6 motets, in German. These motets, composed for funeral ceremonies of high dignitaries, are among Bach’s most finished works. They constitute a sort of radiant personal synthesis, with a sense of gloss, commentary and decoration which are a result of polyphony and expressiveness in Western sacred music. The tremendous and famous moments ”Jesu meine Freude” (Jesus, my joy) and “Komm, Jesu, “ (Come, Jesus, come) are amazing motets in perfect balance, celebrating the farewell of a man to his body and the world. These motets require considerable virtuosity from the performers. The use of the double choir mixes with the shape of the barrel and the fugue for a moving and fascinating result.